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Published Date: 2010-09-01 00:21:34
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (40): Africa
Archive Number: 20100901.211925

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY UPDATE 2010 (40): AFRICA
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In this update:
[1] Cholera - Nigeria (Adamawa)
[2] & [3] Cholera - Cameroon
[4] Cholera - Uganda (Kampala)

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[1] Cholera - Nigeria (Adamawa)
Date: Fri 27 Aug 2010
Source: Xinhua [edited]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-08/27/c_13465881.htm

Nigeria's northeast Adamawa Sate has confirmed 100 people died from a
recent cholera outbreak.

State Commissioner of Health Zainab Kwonchi disclosed this in Yola,
the state capital, on Thursday [26 Aug 2010], saying 1200 people were
infected by the disease.

She said the most affected areas were Sukur, Pallam, Duhu, Belbel,
Girjiya and Gulak, as well as Shuwa and Hyambula in Madagali local
Government Area.

Kwonchi said other areas hit by the disease include Lamurde, Mubi,
Yola and Numan, noting that the government was making efforts to
control the spread of the disease.

Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health on Wednesday [25 Aug 2010] said
the cholera death toll in Nigeria rose to 352.

The north of Nigeria suffers epidemics of cholera, measles and
meningitis almost every year.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that causes severe vomiting
and diarrhoea, leading to serious dehydration and can be fatal if not
properly treated.

[Byline: Deng Shasha]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[As the cholera outbreak in Adamawa state progresses, 8 percent of
those affected have succumbed to the disease. It is clear that the
authorities need to improve the quality of clinical care by improving
access to quality care and ensuring that all new cases are detected
and referred on time for treatment to be initiated.

Maps of Nigeria are available at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Nigeria and the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
http://healthmap.org/r/01MI. - Mod.JFW]

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[2] Cholera - Cameroon
Date: Thu 26 Aug 2010
Source: CNN News [edited]
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/08/25/cameroon.cholera/#fbid=cWWlQeL0sB2&wom=false

Cholera has killed 297 people in the west African nation of Cameroon,
health officials said Wednesday [25 Aug 2010].

The outbreak, which began in May [2010], has exceeded 3000 cases,
said Dr. Eric Mintz, the leader of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's global water sanitation and hygiene epidemiology
team. The agency has an office in Cameroon.

"[There are] a lot of cases and a lot of deaths," he said in a
telephone interview, "more deaths than should be expected under the
best of conditions."

Under ideal conditions, cholera's fatality rate ought to be less than
one percent, he said. But Cameroon's conditions are not ideal. Many
people live far from the medical aid that could help them rehydrate
and replace the sodium and potassium lost in their stools and vomit.
"That delay can be critical," Mintz said. "If you don't get the
fluids and the electrolytes replaced through hydration, you can go
into shock and die as a result."

The country's northern region has been particularly hard hit. Three
of 10 prisoners diagnosed with cholera at Maroua Central Prison in
the far north were among the dead, the officials said.

CDC's Mintz said the rugged and remote region has been affected
repeatedly by cholera epidemics, most recently last year [2009].

About 70 percent of people living in the country's far north,
bordering Nigeria and Chad and the Central African Republic, do not
have access to potable water, according to a Ministry of Water and
Energy official. Sanitation is also limited in the area, and recent
flooding has aggravated the situation.

The affected area is home to some 5 million people, according to UNICEF.

Outbreaks are now also occurring across the border in parts of
Nigeria, Mintz said. "There are a lot of people crossing over the
border all the time," he said. "So it's not surprising that the
cholera is also crossing over the border."

The U.N. children's agency said it has dispatched emergency medical
kits containing surgical gloves, water treatment tablets, cholera
medicine, oral rehydration salts and educational materials. It said
children are especially vulnerable to the disease.

Cholera is spread via the oral-fecal route, through water
contaminated with human waste. "What puts people at risk is a lack of
safe drinking water," Mintz said.

Boiling the water or treating it with chlorine or filtration or some
other method to remove the contaminants can make it safe.

Untreated, cholera can kill within hours, according to the World
Health Organization. Worldwide, as many as 120 000 people die each
year from cholera.

[Byline: Tom Watkins and Moki Kindzeka]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[New cholera infections continue to be reported, since the conditions
favouring disease transmission continue to prevail. A comprehensive
plan addressing all the risk factors is needed to reverse the current
cholera outbreak trends.

An interactive map showing the regions of Cameroon can be accessed at
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/cameroon_pol98.jpg. The
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Cameroon can be accessed at
http://healthmap.org/r/00Eh. - Mod.JFW]

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[3] Cholera - Cameroon
Date: Fri 27 Aug 2010
Source: U.S. Global Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/August/27/GH-082710-Cholera-Outbreak.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kff%2Fkdghpr+%28Kaiser+Daily+Global+Health+Policy+Report%29

Cameroon will need approximately USD 4.8 million for its emergency
response to the cholera outbreak, which has killed nearly 300 people
in the northern part of the country, Agence France-Presse reports.

According to AFP, state radio reported yesterday [26 Aug 2010] that
"the government's response to the outbreak will be rolled out in 2
phases. The 1st period, from August to November [2010], will focus on
the essentials, water purification tablets, medical kits, drinking
water and training health staff to treat the outbreak victims. In the
2nd phase, from December to July 2011, the government plans to
renovate 200 wells and build 50 new wells and 200 latrines."

According to CNN, Eric Mintz -- the leader of the CDC's global water
sanitation and hygiene epidemiology team, which has an office in
Cameroon -- said on Wednesday [25 Aug 2010] that more than 3000 cases
have been recorded in the country since May 2010.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[In response to the escalating cholera outbreak in Cameroon, the
authorities have rolled out a plan outlining the immediate and medium
term interventions to control the current outbreak and prevent future
outbreaks. - Mod.JFW]

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[4] Cholera - Uganda (Kampala)
Date: Thu 26 Aug 2010
Source: The New Vision (Uganda) [edited]
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/730092

Kampala City Council spokesperson Simon Muhumuza yesterday [25 Aug
2010] said Bwaise, Makerere and Mulago III in Kawempe Division were
more at risk.

Others are Banda, Kiwatule, Bukesa, Kamwokya, Kisenyi, Ndeeba,
Nateete, Lungujja, Namuwongo and Wabigalo. During rainy seasons, it
is common for city residents to report cases of cholera outbreaks and
flooding, especially in the low lying areas, he said.

Muhumuza urged residents to clear drains and to vacate low lands,
marshes and waterways.

He also urged them not to empty their latrines during floods, to
drink boiled water, avoid cold foods and those from unhygienic
places, and to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet.

"Any person who experiences diarrhoea and vomiting should immediately
seek medical advice from the nearest health facility," he said.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[The current cholera alert is justified following the onset of the
rainy season, with the risk of flooding in low lying areas and hence
the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Uganda is available at
http://healthmap.org/r/03Bf. - Mod.JFW]

See Also